It's always nice to see a little Latin tossed into the online mix. Thanks to growing scrutiny of Sarah Palin's "per diem" travel expenses as governor, the two-word term has enjoyed an unexpected rush of popularity in Search.So what does "per diem" mean? The American Heritage dictionary defines it simply as "an allowance for daily expenses." Within this context, "Per diem payments are meant for meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business."
According to The Washington Post, Governor Palin charged per diem costs to the state of Alaska for more than 300 nights she stayed at home with the kids. The resulting brouhaha has propelled queries like "per diem" and "palin per diem" up the Search charts. Not bad for a stuffy old phrase.
